Subnautica 2 in early access: player and press reviews after two weeks

May 14, 2026. Subnautica 2 lands in early access on Steam and Xbox Series, and the counter is going crazy: 2 million copies sold in less than 12 hours , a peak of 651,000 simultaneous players, and over 97,000 Steam reviews already submitted. AAA blockbuster numbers for an underwater survival game sold for $29.99. Clearly, the anticipation was huge.

But a strong start doesn't necessarily mean the game is good. We all have in mind record launches that turned into fiascos a week later. So, does Subnautica 2 really live up to its promises, or is the hype doing all the work on its own? We've sifted through Steam reviews, tests from the French and international press, and player feedback on Reddit to give you an honest assessment.

First reflex when a game is released: go check the Steam rating. And there, 91% of positive reviews out of more than 97,000 evaluations , it gives the status "Very positive". For an early access, that's huge. To put it into perspective, the original Subnautica was running at 95% — so we're in the same vein, just a notch below.

What comes up most in positive reviews:

• The atmosphere — the word that appears in almost all reviews. The bioluminescent seabed at night, the muffled sounds of increasing pressure, the blurry silhouettes in the blue. The sound design is a real slap in the face.
• Thalassophobia is back — and forcefully. As soon as we move away from the secure zones, the stomach tightens. Unknown Worlds has clearly succeeded in recreating that sensation we had in the first one.
• Optimization — and that's the real surprise. For an early access, the game runs correctly on most setups. It is even Steam Deck Verified, which is rare at launch.
• The coop — up to 4 players online with crossplay. It works, it's fun, and above all it doesn't dilute the solo atmosphere as many feared.

The 9% of negative reviews, on the other hand, mainly point out the still limited content and some technical bugs. We'll talk about it right after.

On the press side, the observation is quite aligned with the players. IGN gives it a 7/10 , which for an early access is a decent score - they emphasize that the foundation is solid but the content is still lacking. Gaming PC title outright "After all that drama, Subnautica 2 is good" and insists that the game has managed to detach itself from all the Krafton/Unknown Worlds controversy to deliver a convincing experience.

In France, Gameblog has spent about ten hours on it and speaks of "one of the best representatives of the genre on Steam." Their preview emphasizes the unexpected horror dimension - a parasite that transforms wildlife and affects the player with strange voices. Lead Game Designer Anthony Gallegos confirmed to them that the game focuses primarily on exploration rather than pure survival. The recipe of the first one, but better.

According to GameStar (relayed by Notebookcheck), it's essentially "Subnautica 1, but better". No revolution, but targeted improvements: expanded base building, new Tadpole vehicle, DNA customization. The main criticism from the press? The story, judged slow, predictable, and a bit clichéd for now. But hey, we're in early access — the storyline will be expanded with each update.

Let's not lie to ourselves: it's an early access, and you can feel it in some places. Unknown Worlds has already released two hotfixes since May 14, which shows that they are responsive — but it also shows that the launch was not perfect.

The most reported issues by the community:

• FPS drops in crowded areas — even on powerful setups, some biomes strain the framerate. Hotfix 2 improved performance on Epic settings, but it's still far from perfect.
• Multiplayer crashes — random disconnections, especially at the end of the game in deep zones. Partially fixed by hotfixes.
• The Tadpole has concerns — the new vehicle has a moonpool docking bug that drives you crazy, plus a base teleportation bug (fixed). And the Hammerheads were strangely attracted to its headlights — Unknown Worlds revised their behavior.
• Infinite oxygen — an exploit that completely broke the difficulty. Patched.
• Missions that are stuck — some players report objectives that no longer trigger, forcing them to reload a save.

On the whole, the most common criticism among disappointed players is the size of the card and the density of the wildlife Some find that the world is traversed too quickly and that the biomes lack life compared to the first game. Unknown Worlds has announced that new biomes, creatures, and tools will arrive through free updates until version 1.0 — not expected before 2028 at the earliest.

If you've been following the gaming news in recent months, you know that Subnautica 2 almost never came out — at least not in this form. A brief summary of the saga.

Krafton (the Korean publisher behind PUBG) had acquired Unknown Worlds with an earnout agreement linked to the performance of Subnautica 2 — a bonus that could reach 250 million dollars for the founders. In July 2025, Krafton fired CEO Ted Gill and took operational control of the studio, claiming that the game was not ready. The former executives sued in Delaware, accusing Krafton of sabotaging the launch to avoid payment.

Result? The court ruled in favor of Unknown Worlds: Krafton had illegally fired Gill and seized control of the studio The CEO has been reinstated, the earnout period extended. The game was finally able to be released on May 14, 2026. But the matter is not completely settled — Krafton has filed counterclaims. In short, quite a mess behind the scenes that makes the game's commercial success even more remarkable.

The question at $29.99. And the answer really depends on your profile.

Buy now if:

• You loved the first one and you want to find that feeling of diving into the unknown. It's there, and it's clearly the strength of the game.
• You want to play in co-op with friends - it's the big new feature and it works well.
• You have the Game Pass. The game is available day one, so technically you risk nothing financially.
• You like to follow a game from its beginnings and see how it evolves.

Wait for the 1.0 if:

• You want a complete story and a finite world. For now, the scenario is under construction and the map is limited.
• You plan to play the game only once and you want the best possible experience from the first try.
• You have never played the first Subnautica — in this case, go for it first, it is complete, cheaper, and still excellent.

Gameblog estimates that there are already around twenty hours of content in a straight line, with about ten biomes at launch. It's not empty, but it's not the final version either. The roadmap plans for free updates with new biomes, creatures, and narrative chapters up to version 1.0.

Yes, solo remains the heart of the game. Co-op for up to 4 players is completely optional. You can do the whole adventure alone without missing anything.

29.99$ on Steam and the Epic Games Store. The game is also available on Xbox Game Pass from day 1.

Yes, the game is Steam Deck Verified, which is quite rare for an early access. Some FPS drops in loaded biomes, but it remains playable.

Unknown Worlds estimates that the early access will last two to three years. The 1.0 is therefore not expected before 2028 at the earliest.

Yes, crossplay between PC (Steam/Epic) and Xbox Series X|S is confirmed and functional from launch.

Subnautica 2 is not perfect — and it would be strange if it were two weeks after an early access launch. But what's there is solid: the atmosphere is monstrous, exploration still works well, co-op is a real added value, and technically it's above what we expect from an early access.

The flaws are those of a game in construction: not dense enough map, unfinished scenario, some vehicle bugs. Nothing prohibitive. Unknown Worlds corrects quickly and the roadmap is encouraging. At 30€ — or free via the Game Pass — it's hard to spit on it.

And frankly, when you see the legal saga that the studio went through to release this game, the fact that it is also good at launch... hats off.